8 Ups And 5 Downs From WWE Raw (Feb 10)

4. Wait, Rusev’s Still Alive?

Rusev WWE
WWE.com

This is not a knock on WWE actually announcing a match ahead of a PPV, but when it causes you to stop and question things, it’s not a good thing.

During Raw, a graphic announced a Tuwaiq Trophy Gauntlet Match, pitting six wrestlers against each other for a new trophy. Among the six was Rusev, who has not been seen on WWE TV in three weeks. (Word going around is that Rusev is in contract negotiations/dispute with WWE, hence his absence.)

From a storyline perspective, this is just damn odd. Rusev hasn’t bothered to show up to continue the feud that was a centerpiece of Raw for months on end, but he’s randomly announced for a PPV match in two-plus weeks (which also involves Bobby Lashley).

Why? Just why? They could have handled this better. If they were planning on bringing Rusev back for Super Showdown, why take him completely off Raw without the storyline getting an ending?

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Contributor
Contributor

Scott is a former journalist and longtime wrestling fan who was smart enough to abandon WCW during the Monday Night Wars the same time as the Radicalz. He fortunately became a fan in time for WrestleMania III and came back as a fan after a long high school hiatus before WM XIV. Monday nights in the Carlson household are reserved for viewing Raw -- for better or worse.